Fluid-pressure-operated stop-valve mechanism for engines.



No. 855,416. PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

H. R. ROCKWELL. FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED STOP VALVE MECHANISM FORENGINES.

APPLICATION PILBD JAN. 9.1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS co), wxsnmcrou, 04 c.

No. 855,416. v PATENTED MAY 28,. 1907.

' H. R.'ROGKWELL. I

FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED STOP VALVE MECHANISM- FOR ENGINES. APPLICATIONFILED JAN.9.1907-.

2 SHEETS-SHEET a.

Mbefri]? 20615224922 UNITED srnpns PATENT onrron.

HUBERT R. ROCKWELL, OF OHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TOJOSHUA O. WALL, JR, AND ONE-THIRD TO HENRY F. TEMPLE, BOTH OFOHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

FLUID-PRESSURE-OPERATED STOP-VALVE MECHANISM FOR ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Original application filed October 17, 1906, Serial No. 339,398. Dividedand this application filed January 9, 1907- Serial No. 351,485.

To all whom it'wmy concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT R. RoonwELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State ofTennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Pressure-Operated Stop Valve Mechanism for Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a fluid pressure to operated stop valvemechanism for engines,

and aims to provide in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a mechanism ofsuch class embodying a valvular member and means arranged in operativerelation with respect to the valve for operating it to close the enginewhen the bearings become hot; furthermore, to provide in a manner ashereinafter set forth, a manually-operated means which when operatedwill cause the shifting of the valve to close the steam supply so as tostop the engine when it is desired.

The invention further aims to provide a fluid pressure operatedpneumatic stop valve and means for operating it for the purposes 2 5hereinafter set forth, said valve and means being simple in constructionand arrangement, strong, durable, efficient in use, and readily set upwith respect to the parts of the engine with which it associates.

3 With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consistsof the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of theinvention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations andmodifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of theclaims hereunto appended.

4 In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts throughout the several viewsFigure .1 is a sideelevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the stop valve. Fig. 3 is alike view of the mechanism for operating the stop valve when thebearings become hot.

Briefly described the invention comprises a fluid pressure operatedpneumatic stop valve for closing the admission of steam to 5 thecylinder, manually-operated means associating with the valve for causingthe operation thereof when occasion so requires, and

an automatically-operable means associating with the valve for operatingit when the bearings become hot, the valve when operated being shiftedto close the steam supply,- consequently stopping the engine.

The invention further comprises an air compressor operated from thecrank shaft of the engine and which communicates with an air reservoir,the latter communicating with the regulating means associating with thevalve and interposed in the communication between the reservoir and theregulator is a reducing valve. 5

Referring to the drawings by reference characters 1 denotes the cylinderof the engine, 2 the steam supply conduit, 3 the crank shaft, 4 thebearings therefor, 5 the fly-wheel and 6 the throttle. The foregoingelements 7 may be of known construction.

The stop valve comprises a casing 7 having an inlet 8 and an outlet 9.The inlet 8 of the casing 7 is secured to the conduit 2 by the union 10and the outlet 9 is secured to the throttle valve casing by the union11. The casing 7 is formed with an internallyarranged slotted web 12,which is an integral part of the casing and forms a valve seat for anoscillatory valvular member 13. This 30 member 13 is somewhat in theform of a quadrant and is notched, as at 1%, said notches alining whenthe valve is in certain positions with the slots through the web 12.These latter slots also act as means for establishing 5 communicationbetween the upper part of the valve chamber 7 and the outlet 9 when? thevalvular member 13 is shifted so as to open one or more of the saidslots of the member 12. The valvular member 13 is pivoted, as 9 at 14,and is formed with an extension 15 pivotally connected, as at 16, to alink 18, the latter being pivotally connected, as at 20, to adifferential piston 21 operating in an exten sion 22 which forms a partof the valve chamher 7 and which also communicates with an exhaust valvecasing 23, the latter provided with a seat 24 which is engaged by theautomatically-operable exhaust valve 25, the lat ter being provided witha stem 26 which projects from the casing 23 and is engaged by anoperating mechanismtherefor to be hereinafter referred to.

An outlet pipe 27 communicates with the valve casing 23 for carrying offthe exhaust steam. The valvular member 13 at its bottom is provided witha laterally-extending flange 28 having a port therethrough, as at 29. Apipe branch 30 opens into the chamher 7 below the member 12 and in theextension 22 at the rear of the differential piston 21, the function ofwhich will be hereinafter referred to.

A valve 25 is moved from its seat so as to allow the exhaust of steamfrom the extension 22 so that the valvular member 13 can be shifted inone direction to close the slots in the member 12, through the medium ofa fluid-pressure regulator, such regulator when pressure is exhaustedtherefrom shifting the valve 25 through an intermediate mechanism sothat the valve 25 will be moved from its seat.

The pressure regulator comprises a casing 31 in which is arranged aflexible diaphragm having connected thereto a stem 33 which is attachedto a bell crank 34 supported, as at 35, one arm of the bell crank beingattached to the stem 33 and the other arm to the stem 26. An inlet 36for the supply and exhaust of pressure in the casing 31 is provided.

en pressure is applied to the diaphragm 32 the valve 25 is held againstits seat,-but when pressure is released from the diaphragm the valvewill be enabled to be removed from its seat owing to the steam pressurein the extension 22 and the action of the diaphragm 32 and under suchconditions the steam can exhaust from the extension 22 so that pressurewithin the casing 7 will tend to shift the differential piston 21 andconsequently move the valvular member 13 to closing position. A means isprovided for supplying fluid pressure to the regulator, said meansconsisting of an air compressor 37 operated through the medium of a beltconnection 38 from the crank shaft 3 of the engine and the cylinder ofthe compressor communicates with a reservoir 39 through the medium ofthe discharge pipe 40. A small pipe 41, which constitutes a supply pipefor the pressure regulator, leads from the reservoir 2 to the port 36and said supply pipe 41 has interposed therein a reducing valve 42 ofknown construction.

The manual means for relieving the pressure from the diaphragm 32 withinthe casing 31 consists of an exhaust valve 43 at one end of a pipebranch 44 which communicates with a distributing pipe 45, the latteropening into the supply pipe 41, as at 46. The distributing pipe 45 isprovided with a plurality of branch pipes 44, each having an exhaustvalve 43 so that the manual operation of relieving pressure from theregulator can be had at various points. The distributing pipe 45 inclose proximity to the coupling be tween said pipe 45 and branch pipes44 is provided with a plurality of check valves 47 so that air isdischarged only through a direct pipe from back of the diaphragm 32 tothat valve 43 which is opened. Such action economizes in the use of airand also renders quick action.

A second distributing pipe 48 is provided which communicates through themedium of the pipe branch 49 with the distributing pipe 45. Thedistributing pipe 48 communicates with. the means for operating thevalvular member 13 when the bearings become hot through the medium ofthe branch pipe 52. The branch pipe 49 and the distributing pipe 48 areprovided with check valves 53 utilized for the same function as thecheck valves 47.

The automatic means for causing the shifting of the valvular member 13when the bearings become hot, comprises a supporting arm 89 carried by afixed part of the engine, to which is attached an exhaust valvemechanism consisting of a casing 90 to which is attached the upper endof the branch pipe 52. The casing 90 is formed with a valve seat 91 forthe valvular member 92, the latter having a stem 93 which is connectedto a lever 94 pivoted at 95 to the casing 90, and extending through anapertured arm 96 carried by said casing. The free end of the lever 94 isapertured as at 97 and through said aperture extends a holding-down rod98 carrying on one end a stop nut 99 which engages the lever 94 and atits other end is soldered to a cap 100, the solder being such as willmelt at a much lower temperature than Babbitt metal. The cap 100 iscarried on the lower end of the tube 101, which extends down through anopening 102 in the journal cap and which also extends through a guide103 projecting from the supporting arm 89. WVhen the bearing becomes hotthe solder which connects the rod 98 to the cap 100 will melt, which ICCreleases the rod and consequently also releases the valve 92 so thatthere will be nothing to hold the valve 92 to its seat, so therefore thepressure within the casing 90 will unseat the valve and allow an exhaustto the atmosphere from the branch pipe 51. Such action will release thepressure upon the diaphragm of the regulator and cause the shift ing ofthe valvular member 13 in a manner as hereinbefore stated. The movementin one direction of the lever 94 is arrested by the upper Wall of theopening in the arm 96.

It willbe apparent from the foregoing description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, that if any one of the exhaust valves 43is operated manually it will cause, in a manner as hereinbefore stated,the shifting of the valvular member 15 as to close the steam supply,thereby discontinuing the operation of the'engine. It will furthermorebe apparent that if the bearing becomes hot it will cause the release ofthe rod 98, thereby permitting the valve 92 to be shifted from its seatand allowing the pressure to exhaust from the pipe branch 52 andsuch'action will relieve the pressure upon the diaphragm of theregulator and cause the automatic shifting of the valvular member 13 toclosing position, thereby cutting off the steam supply and discontinuingthe operation of the engine.

The exhaust valves 43 which are manually operated to open position areautomatically operated to closure position owing to the employment ofsuitable compression springs which, when such valves are open, compressand when the valves are released the springs expand, consequently movingthe valves to closure position. As this is an obvious construction it isthought unnecessary to show it.'

When the exhaust valves 43 are released so they can close, the air fromthe reservoir 39 will flow up through the supply pipe 41 and shift thediaphragm 32, which in turn will cause the closing of the valve therebyshutting off the exhaust of steam from the extension 22. Now if thethrottle valve 6 is closed the steam will pass through the port 29 tothe lower part of the casing 7 and from there through the branch pipe 30to the extension 22 back of the differential piston 34 which will createpressure on the large end of the piston 34 and cause the same to moveinwardly, thereby shifting the member 13 to open position. The sameaction takes place when the exhaust valve mechanisms for each of thepipe branches 50, 51 and 52 are closed.

, filed Oct. 17, 1906.

What I claim is:

1. A fluid pressure operated stop valve mechanism for engines comprisinga valvular member shiftable to and from closure position for opening andclosing the steam sup ply, a normally closed steam exhaust means fornormally holding said valve in an open position by steam pressure, meanscommunieating with an air supply for closing the steam exhaust, meansautomatically operated when the bearings of the engine shaft become hotfor exhausting the air, causing the opening of the steam exhaust and theexhaust of the steam, and the shifting of the valve-holding means bysteam pressure thereby causing the moving of said valve to closingposition, and means for automatically applying steam pressure foropening the valve when the exhausting of air is discontinued whichcauses the closing of the steam exhaust.

2. A fluid pressure operated stop valve mechanism for engines oomprisina valvular member shiftable to and from c osure position for opening andclosing the steam supply, a steam exhaust, a piston connected to saidvalve and impacted upon by the incoming steam for normally holding saidvalve in an open position, means communicating with an air supply forclosing the steam exhaust, an air exhaust, a valvular means for closingsaid exhaust, means automatically operated when the bearings of theengine shaft become hot for releasing said valvular means, causingthereby the exhaust of air,-the opening of the steam exhaust, theexhaust of steam and the shifting of the piston by steam pressure,thereby causing themoving of said valvular member to closing position,and means for automatically applying steam pressure to said piston forshifting it to move the valvular member to open position when theexhaust of steam is discontinued.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HUBERT R. ROCKWELL. WVitnesses:

E. M. CARTER, S. L. RUssELL.

